Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Masashi Kohchi

Yasuo Sakurai

Makoto Tanaka

Yasushi Nakazato

Hiroshi Kubo

Takuro Sekiya

Tomoaki Suga

Tatsuaki Nagano

Akira Hirose

Masaru Watanabe

Hiroshi Kusumoto

Takashi Taruki

Masahiro Taniuchi

Hisayo Ohshita

A image reading apparatus includes a plurality of point light sources, arranged in a straight line state, configured to output light for lighting a document situated on a contact glass from a lower side of the contact glass, a light leading member, positioned in front in a light outputting direction of the light output from the point light sources, configured to lead the light output from the point light sources so as to irradiate along a main scanning direction toward the document situated on the contact glass, and a photoelectric conversion element configured to receive reflection light from the document. The light leading member includes positioning means configured to make a gap between each of the point light sources arranged in a line state and the light leading member constant and make an arrangement direction of the point light sources be positioned along a longitudinal direction of the light leading member.

Image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus

An image reading apparatus configured to be disposed in an image forming apparatus. An image reading unit is configured to read an image from a document. A light permeable member has a surface configured to face the image on the document, the surface having a roughness of at most 0.5 S. A coating is disposed on the surface of the light permeable member, the coating configured to prevent adherence of contaminants on the surface.

Image reading apparatus and recording apparatus including image reading apparatus

An illumination device for a reading device which irradiates light over a predetermined illumination width including a reading area having a predetermined reading width extending in a main scanning direction of a document and reads the light reflected from the document using a reading element has a point light source, and a light-guiding member having an incident surface opposed to a light-emitting surface of the point light source and a light-emitting surface opposed to the reading area. An illumination area generated by the light has a high distribution range of a substantially constant illuminance, and the high distribution range coincides substantially with the reading area.

Illumination device, document reading device, adjusting device, and image forming apparatus

A lighting device used in an image forming apparatus includes point light sources that emits rays; and a condensing body that is arranged in a direction of the rays emitted from the point light source and that condenses the rays on a surface of a document, which is placed on a contact glass, within a reading width in a sub-scanning direction of the document. The condensing body is arranged in a direction in which angles of all rays, which pass through the condensing body, are smaller than a critical angle of total reflection on the contact glass.

Lighting device image, reading apparatus, and image forming apparatus

An image reading apparatus, including point light sources, arranged in a straight line state, configured to output light to light a document, and a light leading member, positioned in front in a light outputting direction of the light output from the point light sources, configured to receive the light incident on a surface of the light leading member, and to lead the received light so as to irradiate along a main scanning direction toward the document. The light leading member includes a positioning unit configured to make a gap between one of the point light sources arranged in a line state and the light leading member the same as a gap between another of the point light sources and the light leading member, and to make an arrangement direction of the point light sources be positioned along a longitudinal direction of the light leading member.

An original document reading apparatus includes a plurality of point light source elements (e.g. a LED array) in a main scanning direction beneath an original document table, a moving device that moves the point light source elements in a sub scanning direction, and a photo acceptance unit that accepts light reflected from the original document and determines a size of the original document based upon a reaction of a pixel to the light. The plurality of point light source elements are divided into a plurality of blocks to be turned on and off in successive turns per a block starting from a block corresponding to an original document minimum size to a block corresponding to an original document maximum size.

Electricity waste suppressing original document size detection apparatus

An image reader comprises a light source illuminating an original, an optical guide system configured to guide a light beam reflected from the original and conveying information about an image on the original, a light-receiving unit configured to receive the light beam guided by the optical guide system and to convert the information about the image into electric signals, a stay member holding the light-receiving unit, a balance weight configured to act on the stay member and to reduce oscillation of the light-receiving unit, and a balance-weight holding structure configured to hold the balance weight in an unrestrained state with respect to the stay member.

Image reader and imaging apparatus capable of reducing vibration and fluctuation in image reading

An image-reading device exposes and scans an image of a subject copy by reciprocating a first traveler including an exposure lamp and a mirror, and a second traveler including two mirrors, along a sub scanning direction at a velocity ratio of 2:1. The image-reading device comprises a harness, a flexible cable, and a contact prevention member. The harness supplies power to the exposure lamp. The flexible cable has one end connected to the harness and the other end connected to a power source. The contact prevention member is provided on the first traveler so as to prevent the harness from contacting the second traveler and the mirrors included in the second traveler.

Image-reading device having a contact prevention member preventing a lamp harness from contacting other elements

In an image forming apparatus, an image reading device has a first document setting section for setting a document, and a second document setting section included in an ADF (Automatic Document Feeder) which is capable of supporting and processing a document independently of the first document setting section. The second document setting section allows a number of documents to be stacked thereon. A switching device selectively causes either the document of the first document setting section or that of the second document setting section to be read. A control unit interrupts, when a read request requesting a first reading operation using the first document setting section is input while a second reading operation using the second document setting section is under way, the second reading operation, then executes the first reading operation, and then resumes the second reading operation after the first reading operation.

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Tokyo, Japan

Masashi Kohchi